"The sight of Keith Bulluck in the lineup Sunday was nothing new. It was the 127th consecutive start for the 10th-year Titans linebacker.

The sight of him leaving the field with an injury was different, and painful, for his teammates.

Bulluck needed assistance getting to the sideline after he hurt his left knee in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Dolphins. He did not return, and the Titans called it a "knee sprain."

Bulluck, who was not available for comment after the game, is set to undergo further tests today to determine the extent of the injury, Coach Jeff Fisher said.

"It is different when he's not out there,'' defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "He is the leader of this defense. He is the one calling plays. He gets us lined up. He's good for 10-12 tackles a game, and making big plays like he did last week (when he had two interceptions). Hopefully it's not too serious and we can get him back.''

Bulluck left the game with the Titans leading 24-6 midway through the third quarter. He wasn't around to see the Dolphins score 18 unanswered points to tie the score and force overtime.

The Titans were also minus David Thornton (inactive, shoulder). His availability remains in question.

In his third career start, rookie Gerald McRath stepped in and played well in place of Thornton, finishing with 10 tackles. Second-year linebacker Colin Allred finished up for Bulluck, while Stanford Keglar was also involved in linebacker packages near the goal line.

All of that made fourth-year pro Stephen Tulloch the dean of the linebacker corps, and he finished with 13 stops against his hometown team."